Programs that supplement your income - $$$ for staying late or moonlighting

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gasman2005

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Would it be possible to start a list of programs that give you opportunites to increase your paltry residents salary? I know that some programs offer $$$ (often $50/hr) to stay late, and others have extensive moonlighting opportunites. Not that this will ultimately be a major factor in my decision making process, but the prospect of making a little extra cash during residency is appealing. Especially given the current job market where, regardless of where you do your residency, there is really no problem getting a good job or fellowship.

I'll start.

Jefferson - Pay $50/hr for each hour you stay after 5 pm. Totally voluntary. Opportunity to do OB moonlighting in a 24 hour weekend shift @ $50/hr (=$1200) for the shift. More than enough spots for everyone who wants to moonlight to do so. "Average" PGY2/3 (according to people I spoke with during my interview) salaries are $80,000, with some earning $100K+.

I'd definately be lying if I said that this was not appealing to me. Even after adding in the moonlighting, the residents there still work far less (so they told me) than residents at programs like MGH, Columbia, and JHU where they "work you like dogs." I'm not afraid of hard work, but it'd be awesome to be paid a little extra. Plus, getting paid for staying late or moonlighting is educational, and the possibility of doubling your salary rocks.

Anyone know of any other programs that pay you money for staying late, or have extensive moonlighting opportunities? (I heard that you are not legally allowed to moonlight in NYC. Can anyone confirm or refute this?)
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UAB has built in moonlighting. It is $50/hr after 3 o'clock. Also weekend Liver transplant call. Its been awhile since I was told but I think for Livers its $4/hr just to carry the pager and more if you get called in.

Better to pay the residents than extra CRNAs!!!
 
gaseous said:
UAB has built in moonlighting. It is $50/hr after 3 o'clock. Also weekend Liver transplant call. Its been awhile since I was told but I think for Livers its $4/hr just to carry the pager and more if you get called in.

Better to pay the residents than extra CRNAs!!!
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DAMMMNNNN.....$4/hr....dude you gonna break the bank with that! 😀
Did you mean $40/hr?
 
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Cleveland Clinic, UTMB-Galveston, Medical College of Georgia all have built-in moonlighting where you get paid if you stay late. I've heard the same from Ochsner, but they were too cool to interview me. I know that KU-Wichita has moonlighting providing anesthesia care in 12 or 24-hour blocks. Generally some study/sleep time in all that too.
 
invitro said:
DAMMMNNNN.....$4/hr....dude you gonna break the bank with that! 😀
Did you mean $40/hr?
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Its $4/hr to carry the pager at HOME. If you get called in, $50/hr. Therefore, they pay you something for staying at home with the pager, more if you come in. Also, its a pretty busy transplant center. In the end, I wouldn't shun getting paid something for sitting on my arse watching football on Sunday.......
 
University of New Mexico.I don't know how much it is per hour,but the residents seemed really pleased,since the caseload is not much.
 
This is a good thread- to everyone reading, please contribute if you have information on this topic. I'll add this one to the FAQ!

In NYC Mount Sinai offers $100/hr for a 3-hour weekday short-call. I believe a similar arrangement is possible at Columbia. NYU allows moonlighting according to FREIDA, but I don't know the specifics in the anesthesiology department. Not sure about SLR, Einstein, St. V's, Maimonides.
 
Yes, Ochsner in New Orleans does offer moonlighting. It is done in three different ways.

1. Staying late on MWF. You sign up to stay late, or you just volunteer to finish your room. Rate is above average that I have seen on this thread. After 3PM is considered late. Residents are typically relieved around 7PM

2. ER 12 hour shifts are available, usually around 500-600/shift. Most people try to see 1 patient/hour.

3. The helicoptor transport service is managed by Anesthesia. You can fly with them and get paid for it.

Several residents make north of 70K/year, which is actually pretty easy to do.
 
UAB-$50/hr after 3pm and on weekends and transplant as above, plenty of opportunities to go around

vandy-OB calls- 60/hr on weekends only, not so easy to get them

Wash U- 50/hr on weekends only, most residents can get 1/month

all of the above are work within the department, no extra insurance fee etc.
 
just out of curiosity...if you do residency at a program with no moonlighting, can you moonlight at other institutions?
 
Harbor UCLA - $40-50/hour on weekends.
Rush - I am not sure about their rates
 
can someone explain what moonlighting is? and what is all this extra pay for....does that mean you are working on days when it's actually your day off? or are you staying past the hours you are expected to stay? because coming from a medical student, if you are getting paid to stay past 3pm, that sounds really great!
 
coconut lime said:
can someone explain what moonlighting is? and what is all this extra pay for....does that mean you are working on days when it's actually your day off? or are you staying past the hours you are expected to stay? because coming from a medical student, if you are getting paid to stay past 3pm, that sounds really great!
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they only expect you to stay til 3? lucky,,,i'm jealous.

anyways, are some of you folks actually doing this, i mean, seems like residents are so overworked in the first place (then again, taking underpaid out of the equation would encourage me to lose some more sleep too)
.
 
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When I interviewed at VCU in 2002, they had some sort of stay late & get paid program. I do not recall specifically time or rate - but it was damned tempting. I also recall similar set ups at Cleveland Clinic, Univ Rochester & maybe UConn. Thos were very tough factors to ignore since my first choice program, Dartmouth, did not & does not offer anything of this sort. Wish like hell they did cause then it would be a perfect program!
 
Does anyone have specifics on Rochester, Yale, Maine, Uconn, Umass, or the Boston programs?
 
serenity said:
University of New Mexico.I don't know how much it is per hour,but the residents seemed really pleased,since the caseload is not much.
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They pay $35/hour 🙂
 
Does anyone know to what extent these programs allow their fellows to participate in the moonlighting. I would like to do a fellowship, but another year at a residents salary gives me second thoughts.

Leinie
 
Leinie said:
Does anyone know to what extent these programs allow their fellows to participate in the moonlighting. I would like to do a fellowship, but another year at a residents salary gives me second thoughts.

Leinie
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Varies by program. Our cardiac fellowship allows you to be part time faculty at Parkland and that boosts your fellowship salary to about 80-90K. Pain lets your moonlight on your own time. Pedi is usually pretty busy, but as long as you don't violate the 80 hour work week, you're OK.
 
Mayo has an organized program to put you into rural EDs moonlighting; don't recall the rate, but I believe it was competitive. Univ of Chicago has a paid research-moonlighting thing a lot of the residents do post-call for 50/hr. Seniors get paid to take wknd call, I believe for the same rate. UCSF has a deal where if you stay past 8pm, they'll reimburse $75 at a restaurant of your choice.
 
nyu does not have moonlighting. they tried to have it, but due to lack of interest from the residents they canned the idea
other places that have moonlighting:
columbia
penn
sinai

same idea for all - about 4 hours on a weekday 250-350. 24 hour shift on sat about 1k. i think sinai has a sunday shift 8am-9pm for like 800ish.

i was surprised that nyu residents didn't want to moonlight. i mean no one wants to work on days off. but for 1k/day, a handful of saturdays in a year can really make a difference. especially since sinai has 3 golden weekends/month (most gas programs i've been to do though)


gasman2005 said:
Would it be possible to start a list of programs that give you opportunites to increase your paltry residents salary? I know that some programs offer $$$ (often $50/hr) to stay late, and others have extensive moonlighting opportunites. Not that this will ultimately be a major factor in my decision making process, but the prospect of making a little extra cash during residency is appealing. Especially given the current job market where, regardless of where you do your residency, there is really no problem getting a good job or fellowship.

I'll start.

Jefferson - Pay $50/hr for each hour you stay after 5 pm. Totally voluntary. Opportunity to do OB moonlighting in a 24 hour weekend shift @ $50/hr (=$1200) for the shift. More than enough spots for everyone who wants to moonlight to do so. "Average" PGY2/3 (according to people I spoke with during my interview) salaries are $80,000, with some earning $100K+.

I'd definately be lying if I said that this was not appealing to me. Even after adding in the moonlighting, the residents there still work far less (so they told me) than residents at programs like MGH, Columbia, and JHU where they "work you like dogs." I'm not afraid of hard work, but it'd be awesome to be paid a little extra. Plus, getting paid for staying late or moonlighting is educational, and the possibility of doubling your salary rocks.

Anyone know of any other programs that pay you money for staying late, or have extensive moonlighting opportunities? (I heard that you are not legally allowed to moonlight in NYC. Can anyone confirm or refute this?)
Click to expand...
 
Cornell: as a CA-3 you have the opportunity to moonlight in-house on a Sunday 23 OB call. (8am-7AM). It only pays $500, but you do get Monday off. So far, this is only available to CA-3's. There is also another resident on with you who is on the Ob rotation and is taking their scheduled call. Depending on how busy it is, it is possible to split the day into 6-8 hour shifts and gets some serious sleep while on call.... and then enjoy the day off.
 
Temple pay $30/hr for CA-1s and $38/hr for CA-2/3s
UF has moonlighting in their Emergency department (don't know how much)
 
Residents at UT-Houston can moonlight at MD Anderson SICU, LBJ, or Herman Memorial. Someone told me its about $50/hr. Supposedly, some of the residents get their license and moonlight in the ER for about $75-$100/hr.
 
I thought I would bring this one back from the dead. Interesting topic.

There must be some updates since 2005.
 
UAB trumps all: $75/hr every hour past 3 pm. Plus the liver pager call.

Quite a few residents bank >100k a year.

UK residents bank an extra 10-15k according to what i was told.

Oschner Clinic gets out @ 230pm everyday, with opps to add a grand or more per month.

Scott and White allows residents to bank at outside small ERs.

VCU moonlighting remains strong.
 
While moonlighting may be a way to make your life as a resident more financially stable, keep in mind the following constraints. You will likely need a state medical license (can be >$500). You may need supplemental malpractice insurance (especially if you are moonlighting outside your own program). You will still need to pay taxes on these earnings. If you are looking to just make some extra money to pay for a nice vacation or a new HDTV, you may find yourself working more hours than you think. If you want to be legal, you should get your program directors approval and keep your total hours worked (residency + call + moonlighting) under the work hour restrictions.

Moonlighting can be helpful, but I think some residents become slaves to the almighty dollar. Use your time wisely and spend your money carefully. Develop hobbies, spend time with family, and read about anesthesia. Some of the most miserable and clinically inept residents I worked with during my residency were the ones with the thick paychecks. (Some even tried to moonlight during their vacation time). Remember if you wait just another 1-2 years, an additional hour of your time will be worth more than $50.
 
Masseter Spasm said:
While moonlighting may be a way to make your life as a resident more financially stable, keep in mind the following constraints. You will likely need a state medical license (can be >$500). You may need supplemental malpractice insurance (especially if you are moonlighting outside your own program). You will still need to pay taxes on these earnings. If you are looking to just make some extra money to pay for a nice vacation or a new HDTV, you may find yourself working more hours than you think. If you want to be legal, you should get your program directors approval and keep your total hours worked (residency + call + moonlighting) under the work hour restrictions.

Moonlighting can be helpful, but I think some residents become slaves to the almighty dollar. Use your time wisely and spend your money carefully. Develop hobbies, spend time with family, and read about anesthesia. Some of the most miserable and clinically inept residents I worked with during my residency were the ones with the thick paychecks. (Some even tried to moonlight during their vacation time). Remember if you wait just another 1-2 years, an additional hour of your time will be worth more than $50.
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Interesting. Also consider that one's ability to defer/forebear on gov't loans is tied to income. In my own circumstance, I wouldn't have to earn a whole heck of a lot extra before I'd no longer qualify for the above and would have to start making loan payments (which would put me further behind than if I hadn't moonlighted).
 
DMC is pretty good w/moonlighting.
6 mo into CA-1 we are allowed to moonlight in-house at Harper/hutzel for ~60/hr. Also, if you stay after 1700, you get paid moonlighter wages. This is an optional earn, and can be hit or miss. Sometimes, the PD may claim that your time is for educational purposes. Also, Dr Wang may ask you to come in early if there are staffing issues, and that is also considered moonlighter billable. Finally, during your PGY2, if you pass S3, get your license, and a DEA#, you can moonlight at the Veterans urgent care for 70-75/hr. I know one dude who pulled down 120 G's last year... not too shabby!!
As one poster said before, you have to balance study time and residency time before you can add moonlighting time, or you might catch yourself getting behind.
 
University of Virginia pays residents for staying late, etc. They also pay you to recover your patient in the room if PACU is full.

Don't know numbers but my brother started his residency 2 weeks ago.

As far as moonlighting - I find it hard to believe that some residents choose to moonlight. There is more to life than money, like sleep for example.
 
WVU - two voluntary weekend moonlighting calls. One is "backup" - Friday night to Monday morning - sometimes you're called in sometimes you stay home all weekend - either way you pick up $1000. The guy on this weekend got called in for an epidural and that was it. The other is a Saturday 7 am - 5 pm shift during which you are doing cases, and pick up $1250 (at least I think it is now 1250 instead of 1000). The Saturday shift is generally given priority to upper levels. Rumor has it there are several community hospital ER moonlighting opportunities that pay well in the area also.
 
bertelman, can you pm me details about maine? didn't you match there or am i confusing you with someone else? would love to know hours, how is the intern year, moonlighting details, cost of living in portland, and anything else important.
 
Maine Medical Center has plenty of moonlighting opportunities starting in April of the CA-1 year. Pay is 50/hr.
Intern year is ok, when I did it we did 6 months of service(call q4/3) and 6 months of no call, which is great. Call months here are tough as interns, you typically cross cover multiple services and admit too, so busy. No rotations through anesthesia as interns.
Internship is changing though, trying to make it more of a transitional year, instead of being owned by the Dept of Medicine.
Quality of life in Maine is high, cost is probably high by south and midwest standards but for the Northeast or West coast its very reasonable.
Worst part is the winter (IMO)
We get 4 weeks of vacation and 1 week of conference time. Educational funds each year 400, 800, then 1000 there after (accumulates to 2000 if not all used)
Work hours in anesthesia are probably above average. We're a small program and the referrral/trauma hospital in Maine. Call is busy especially if covering OB, but I still get 2-3 hours of sleep on average.
Bonus is lots of cases, but be prepared to work your tail off. (Example last night on call did 5 epidurals, one IT, and two sections, got 2.5 hours of sleep, other nights the gen. OR is hopping and you're up all night)
I think its worth it though because medicine is all about experience and you will do an incredible amount of cases here. Attendings are down to earth, mostly on first name basis, and very open to novel anesthetic plans as long as you are prepared.
Overall I'm pleased, I think its a "jewel" of a program in a cool little city.
The staff and faculty are making efforts for more lecture time as our boards have been average in the past.
 
Maine Medical Center has plenty of moonlighting opportunities starting in April of the CA-1 year. Pay is 50/hr.
Intern year is ok, when I did it we did 6 months of service(call q4/3) and 6 months of no call, which is great. Call months here are tough as interns, you typically cross cover multiple services and admit too, so busy. No rotations through anesthesia as interns.
Internship is changing though, trying to make it more of a transitional year, instead of being owned by the Dept of Medicine.
Quality of life in Maine is high, cost is probably high by south and midwest standards but for the Northeast or West coast its very reasonable.
Worst part is the winter (IMO)
We get 4 weeks of vacation and 1 week of conference time. Educational funds each year 400, 800, then 1000 there after (accumulates to 2000 if not all used)
Work hours in anesthesia are probably above average. We're a small program and the referrral/trauma hospital in Maine. Call is busy especially if covering OB, but I still get 2-3 hours of sleep on average.
Bonus is lots of cases, but be prepared to work your tail off. (Example last night on call did 5 epidurals, one IT, and two sections, got 2.5 hours of sleep, other nights the gen. OR is hopping and you're up all night)
I think its worth it though because medicine is all about experience and you will do an incredible amount of cases here. Attendings are down to earth, mostly on first name basis, and very open to novel anesthetic plans as long as you are prepared.
Overall I'm pleased, I think its a "jewel" of a program in a cool little city.
The staff and faculty are making efforts for more lecture time as our boards have been average in the past.
 
Internal Moonlighting means no need for any additional malpractice insurance, Cleveland Clinic covers everything.

Rex Program (Resident EXperience) If you stay until 7PM they pay $60/Hr retroactive from 5PM and if you didn't take a dinner break you add another half hour. This starts CA-1 year, as soon as you're solo in the ORs.

SICU Call after your CA-2 yr rotation: $60/hr for voluntary shift 6-8PM or weekends in SICU or the (HTU) Hospital Transfer Unit, which is an overflow type unit.

Paid Call: Weekends in ORs at $60/HR for 12 hour shifts (7AM -7PM). You leave at 7PM.

Questions about Cleveland Clinic? Contact a Chief Resident:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
 
Penn has a system in place called ECC where after from 5:30 pm-8:30 pm residents still in the OR get paid $100/hour (broken down into $25/15 minute increments). We get assigned ECC about once a week, and you can always give it up to another resident or grab a few extras.
 
Masseter Spasm said:
While moonlighting may be a way to make your life as a resident more financially stable, keep in mind the following constraints. You will likely need a state medical license (can be >$500). You may need supplemental malpractice insurance (especially if you are moonlighting outside your own program). You will still need to pay taxes on these earnings. If you are looking to just make some extra money to pay for a nice vacation or a new HDTV, you may find yourself working more hours than you think. If you want to be legal, you should get your program directors approval and keep your total hours worked (residency + call + moonlighting) under the work hour restrictions.

Moonlighting can be helpful, but I think some residents become slaves to the almighty dollar. Use your time wisely and spend your money carefully. Develop hobbies, spend time with family, and read about anesthesia. Some of the most miserable and clinically inept residents I worked with during my residency were the ones with the thick paychecks. (Some even tried to moonlight during their vacation time). Remember if you wait just another 1-2 years, an additional hour of your time will be worth more than $50.
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Why would you need a full state license to stay late in a room you're already in?! You might want to look that up.

If you are planning on moonlighting outside of your program a state license may be a requirement, but I can't imagine you needing a different license to pass gas after 3pm at Oschner. That's absurd.
 
drugdealer3000 said:
Why would you need a full state license to stay late in a room you're already in?! You might want to look that up.

If you are planning on moonlighting outside of your program a state license may be a requirement, but I can't imagine you needing a different license to pass gas after 3pm at Oschner. That's absurd.
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He means if you moonlight at a different institution. You might want to chill out.
 
gasnewby said:
He means if you moonlight at a different institution. You might want to chill out.
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Most of the easiest moonlighting gigs in Gas are simply staying late in your room or taking over someone else's room. I would say that's the way the majority of the moonlighting is done.

A lot of people that read these posts don't even know what moonlighting is and a blanket statement like that may give the less informed the wrong idea. I think lfinding out about that kind of moonlighting is a VERY important thing on the interview trail. You never know what kind of financial hardship you will encounter and at least having the option to earn some dough is a plus. Its not everything, but it is an important piece of the puzzle. A few days of moonlighting easily pays for a board review course. Know what I mean?

PS By easiest I mean easiest to get and most convenient. I have no clue about ER work, etc.
 
thanks for clarifying, MS-IV. good luck with the match.
 
no moonlighting in miami
 
Harbor-UCLA: After you get your license, you can work Saturdays from 7 to 7. Averages to around $50 per hour after taxes for the single person with no dependents. For the most part will get Mondays off, so you still get almost 2 days off.
 
SleeperHold said:
Harbor-UCLA: After you get your license, you can work Saturdays from 7 to 7. Averages to around $50 per hour after taxes for the single person with no dependents. For the most part will get Mondays off, so you still get almost 2 days off.
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Ochsner in new orleans. Moonlighting in ER (65 per hour)after you have your license. OR (75 per hour) after 6 months of CA-1 year. No off site moonlighting.

Cubs
 
After your OB rotation, you can do shifts at the birth center for $500/shift. This is the only moonlighting sanctioned/allowed by the department, from what I understand.
 
bumping this thread....A lot of possibly interesting information
 
Penn: you get 3 assigned 3h shifts a month starting august of ur CA-1 year, from 6pm on ( approx 830) you get 100/hr, you can give these up but someone needs to cover the ones you have assigned, if you stay past the time you are required ( it varies by shift) you also get $100/hr, if you volunteer to stay late, again $100/hr, u can do it only when in the OR and not in the ICU. And believe me there is enough work to go around...you can make a nice $$$ if you have the endurance!
 
Case/UH
$65/hr for OR late shifts 5-9 or Saturdays 7-3. Block pay so you get paid for 4 hr block if you work any part of it.
$75/hr for ICU 12 or 24 hr
 
cchoukal said:
Mayo has an organized program to put you into rural EDs moonlighting; don't recall the rate, but I believe it was competitive. Univ of Chicago has a paid research-moonlighting thing a lot of the residents do post-call for 50/hr. Seniors get paid to take wknd call, I believe for the same rate. UCSF has a deal where if you stay past 8pm, they'll reimburse $75 at a restaurant of your choice.
Click to expand...

UCSFs old deal: work past 8p and you get to work tomorrow
 
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